Graverobber

Skullduggery Burkinair was poorly named.\r\rNo, that is not true. He was well named, but it was an unfortunate name. He was the inventor of the Perfect Air-Borne Silencing Miasma For The Immediate Pacification Of Criminals Especially The Magically Inclined. Some illiterate drudge in the patenting office in sector fourteen had mis-labeled the name on his form twelve &quot;Sleeping Gas.&quot; Some foolish jester in the Tinkers' Court had mangled the name on their tongue as &quot;Burkin' Air, gettit, gettit, huh, do ya.&quot;\r\rBurkinair he became, because the world was full of fools.\r\rHe knew the world was full of fools. He'd met many of them, personally, and up close.\r\rHe paused to wipe the rain from his eyes, planting the shovel firmly in the piled mud. His lantern guttered for a moment. Were he a less scientific individual, he might have tied the sudden shadow to the long and tortured howl which crashed out to the distant trees like a wave on a far shore, but he was not. Instead, he drew the shovel from its temporary rest, and firmed his grip as the yellow light bloomed once more, making the shadows darker still. This work was menial, but necessary, and soon done.\r\rThere were those who said that such things were for students and lab assistants, but Skullduggery Burkenair did not agree. Any teacher unwilling to get their hands dirty soon ended up no better than Professor Garner, addling his own memories around the hallways, murmering at students until finally becoming some use. Ivory towers were for Dalaran, not for a real magician.\r\rAh, soon done indeed. That thud was certain.\r\rNow to meet someone new. Skullduggery Burkenair liked humans. That was how he'd chosen his current school over Dalaran. Humans were better than elves. Large bones, thick organs, easy navigation. He pried open the lid. She smelled like warm earth and growing things, fungus and soil. Yes. Humans were excellent creatures.\r\rSkullduggery Burkenair smiled.